My Little Pony Monthly Issue 12 (March 1,
1998)
My Little Pony Monthly
Established June 1997
If you do not want to be on our mailing list, e-mail Tabby at TabbyMLP@aol.com and
you'll be removed.
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Issue 12
March 1998
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Letters to the Editor
From: yu216411@yorku.ca
Subject: My Little Pony Monthly
Hello
I think I have a good idea for My Little Pony Monthly. I know that it is coming out soon,
so it wouldn't have to be in this issue or anything. I was thinking about a spot where people
could share their great finds. Like if a person was at a flea market and picked up a box of 20
ponies for only five dollars. Or single great finds. Maybe finding a pony they were really looking
for at a second hand store for only fifty cents. I know that I love to hear stories about how other
people found their ponies, I was just wondering if anyone else does.
Just wondering what you think of this idea.
Tanya
Editor's note- If anyone would be interested in contributing to Tanya's suggestion, please
send your submissions to me.
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Author's note:
In 1984, the author of the following story turned on the television to see an
animated program entitled My Little Pony. For Alan, an avid lover of horses, animation and
fantasy stories, it was an irresistible combination.
Some time later, he purchased a paperback fantasy novel about horses. Sadly, the
novel contained an offensive story line with unwholesome themes and it was clearly evident the
author had no love for horses. Alan's outraged complaints to his friends and his amazement that
such a thing would be published by a mainstream publisher resulted in the challenge to "try and do
better." The following story is one of the results, a blend of Alan's three main pleasures.
Continuing to meet the challenge of his friends, a unicorn-oriented story will be published May,
1998 in PawPrints Fanzine and a fantasy novel with a unicorn theme is in the works with a
completion date set for 1999. And today, at the age of 43, he still writes with Lickety Split sitting
on top of his computer monitor, a gift from his friends who encouraged him to turn his outrage
into the action of writing.
All The Pretty Little Ponies is a revisionist interpretation of the My Little Pony
mythos presented as an epic fantasy for older children, yet respectful of the innocence, fun and
wonder of the original television program. Complete in itself, the following story may someday
be the first chapter in a much larger work. Comments and constructive criticism of the following
story would be appreciated and may be sent to the author at cloewen@juno.com.
All The Pretty Little Ponies
by
C. Alan Loewen
For Candice and Allison
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Hush a bye;
Don't you cry;
Go to sleep my little baby.
When you wake
You shall have
All the pretty little ponies.
- traditional lullaby
Megan woke up and yawned, the bright June sun streaming through her bedroom
window. From downstairs, the smell of breakfast made her hungry for waffles and bacon, Aunt
Constance's standard Saturday morning fare.
Megan rubbed her eyes and got out of bed, trying and failing once again not to look
at the picture of her parents that sat near her bedside. After four months, the tears did not come
as often. It bothered Megan that she might get used to her parents not being there and never
seeing them again.
From downstairs, Aunt Constance called her to breakfast and Megan stripped off
her nightgown in exchange for shorts and T-shirt. Minutes later, she sat at the table with a plate
of waffles and bacon in front of her.
"Good morning, Aunt Constance." Her aunt smiled in return, but quickly turned to
the task of scrubbing egg off the frying pan. Lost in the rational world of adulthood, Aunt
Constance did not speak much to Megan, but the reasons were ones of inability, not malevolence.
Aunt Constance saw children as fabulous monsters, illogical and irrational, and eleven-year-old
Megan was just as much of a mystery.
The knock on the door surprised them both. The orderly rules of a Saturday
morning dictated only the sound of mail being dropped through the mail slot.
Megan jumped up from the table. "I'll get it."
The mailman at the door smiled professionally and held out a small package
wrapped in brown paper. The top of the package contained only Megan's name and address and
canceled postage stamps.
Giving her thanks, Megan returned to the breakfast table with the box and a small
pile of mail.
"What is it, Megan?" Aunt Constance took the little package and turned it over in
her hands and frowned at it. With no return address, she had no idea who it came from, but she
gave it back to Megan with a shrug. "Don't leave the wrapping paper and box on the table. I
want to
keep a clean kitchen today." She turned back to her frying pan.
Megan eagerly opened the package and opened the box. Aunt Constance turned at
the sound of Megan's cry of delight.
The little glass globe easily fit into the palm of Megan's hand, but the detail was
breathtaking. A crenellated fantasy castle, its spires of ivory contrasting with the green of the
surrounding fields, sat protected under the thick glass.
"Oh, Aunt Constance, it's beautiful." Megan gently shook the globe to see if it
would create a snowstorm like she had seen some globes do. Nothing happened.
Aunt Constance peeked into the box and searched in vain for any clue as to where
the package came from. She sniffed in annoyance and shook her head. "Most improper. Don't
get too attached to it, Megan. I don't like you receiving gifts from strangers."
"I wonder who sent it to me?" Megan mused.
After breakfast, she carefully carried it back to her room and sat it on her bed stand
where the sunlight streaming through the bedroom window made the castle glow. Megan blinked
and suddenly looked closer. Was there something, some mote, twirling about one of the towers?
She squinted as hard as she could, but the mote had disappeared. Megan shook her head and put
it down to eyes being tricked by the bright sunlight reflecting off the thick glass.
She lay on the bed, staring at the englobed castle where it sat next to the picture of
her parents. Already fantasy daydreams had taken her to where parents never went away and
wonder and magic still existed and the Aunt Constances of the world, though they tried to be nice
and loving, remained aunts and not substitute parents.
The castle glowed and again Megan marveled at the exquisite detail. Every
individual stone stood out in sharp relief and one darkened window in the highest turret suddenly
lit up with brilliance as it reflected something from the sunlight streaming through Megan's
bedroom
window.
Suddenly, she felt giddy and light-headed as the window of the castle expanded
until it became her world. As if slipping into a dream, the brilliance grew and grew engulfing her
in a beautiful radiance as if she were looking through an opal.
With a squeak of surprise, she sat up to find herself in a strange little room facing an
open window framed in stone. She spun around and gasped at the sight before her.
A small dark pony stood before a tall bookstand that held a massive leather-bound
book. Strange items hung on the walls and bookshelves overflowed with yellow parchments and
scrolls.
The pony, its hide as dark as coal, stared back at Megan open-mouthed, its eyes
wide with surprise.
"Oh," it said. Suddenly, in a clatter of little hooves, it ran from the room. Receding
down the hallway, she could hear the pony calling, "Twilight! Twilight!"
Megan stared about her in surprise. A talking pony within what looked to
be…could it be…the castle?
Megan ran to the stone-framed window. The sky was a riot of colors, swirled and
strange, almost as if she was looking through…through glass! Could she be inside the castle
looking through into her own sunlit room?
Something all of a sudden flashed by the window and Megan gasped in wonder.
Another small horse…a pony…swooped through the air on wings of brilliant white. Then
another one soared up from below, gray with a slightly darker mane, tail and wings. Megan
gasped in wonder as she watched them, their wings spread so far apart to catch the air, that each
individual pinion stood out in sharp relief against that swirled sky. Together, the two winged
ponies danced a ballet unrestricted by the bounds of gravity. Faintly, Megan thought she could
hear laughter.
"I told you that reading those books would only end up causing trouble." Megan
jumped in surprise and spun around to meet only another wonder. The little black pony had
returned and stood in the doorway with a companion. In contrast to the first pony, this one's hide
glowed with a brightness that rivaled the whiteness of the purest milk and its mane and tail formed
a frosty nimbus. Its hooves flashed with mother-of-pearl that matched the small horn that sprung
from its forehead. The diminuitive unicorn stared at Megan who had backed herself into the wall
and stood watching the two ponies with her mouth open in shock.
The black pony looked downcast and pawed at the floor with one jet-black hoof.
"I'm sorry, Twilight. I really didn't read anything. The pictures are so pretty."
The unicorn motioned with her head toward Megan. "What's done is done, Ember,
so I'd not worry about it now. Go get Medley and Firefly and the others and tell them we have a
visitor."
The first pony turned and once again ran off down the hall. Carefully, the unicorn
entered the room keeping her distance from Megan, watching her carefully, her head cocked like a
dog that is seeing a new wonder for the first time. "Can you talk?" the unicorn asked. Megan
nodded in response.
The unicorn snorted. "Well, that's a start. My name is Twilight. Can you tell me
your name?"
"My name's Megan," Megan responded with a whisper. "What are you? Do you
live in the castle?"
"I see we have a lot to talk about," Twilight said. She came closer and gazed
wonderingly at Megan's hands. Feeling self-conscious, Megan held them in front of her, thinking
perhaps that Twilight was concerned she had something dangerous in them. The little unicorn
simply sniffed, then nuzzled them.
Twilight's nose was warm and reminded Megan of soft, crushed velvet like her
Easter dress. Following the sudden desire, Megan stroked that wonderful nose and with her
other, stroked that glorious mane.
"Hands," Twilight said. "You have hands. You can help us.
"Come with me. I must introduce you to the others." With that, Twilight turned
and headed for the door.
Megan followed the unicorn-pony down a hallway hung with ancient tapestries
woven with ancient symbols. The hallway turned into a circular staircase and down they went for
some time, their way illuminated only by light streaming in through small windows cut in the
ancient stone.
At the bottom of the tower, the stairway ended in a door that Twilight pushed open
with her shoulder. In the courtyard, four ponies stood looking at her in awe.
"Everyone, this is Megan." With her muzzle, she gently pushed Megan toward the
group. Immediately, she was surrounded by ponies, all talking at the same time, asking her
questions in such rapid fashion, individual questions were drowned out by others.
A muffled sound of wind made Megan look up just in time to see the two delicate
flying ponies spread their wings in preparation for landing. As quiet as kestrel they gently
touched down in the courtyard and stared open-mouthed at Megan.
Twilight stamped her hoof in an attempt to get some order. "Sisters. Sisters. Please
be patient."
The ponies settled down looking at Megan with eager anticipation.
Twilight went around the group making introductions. "This is Ember, whom
you've already met." Ember did a graceful equine form of a curtsey, much to Megan's delight.
"This is Starlight." Starlight, another small unicorn, curtsied in turn.
Cream-colored, her horn and hooves blazed like her sister's.
"The two winged ponies are Firefly and Medley." The two had gracefully folded
their wings over their flanks and stared at Megan in undisguised curiosity.
Finally, Twilight introduced Megan to Bowtie, a pretty blue roan and Applejack, a
chestnut-colored pony with a darker mane and tail.
"Megan," Twilight asked. "Tell us who you are and where you came from."
Megan pointed at the swirled sky. "I think I came from my bedroom out there.
Somebody mailed me this castle in a glass globe and I was looking at it in my bedroom when
suddenly I was in the castle."
Ember interrupted. "I didn't bring her here. I was just looking at the
pictures."
"It's quite all right, Ember," Twilight said. "Megan's here and it's a blessing she is.
We don't know what a bedroom or a globe are or what it means to be mailed, but if Megan can
open the one door for us…" Her voice trailed off in a question.
With that all the other ponies began speaking all at once. Megan sighed to herself.
"How do I get back home?" she asked. The others looked at her in silence.
Once again, Twilight spoke for the group. "We don't know how you actually got
here, so we're not certain how you can get back.
"But before we solve that problem, could you solve one for us? We don't have
hands and there is a door we have never been able to open."
Megan shrugged. "Okay. I'll be happy to open a door for you."
Moments later they were back in the castle walking through one of its wide stone
hallways. Twilight and Megan led the way, followed by the other six ponies, Firefly and Medley
having folded their wings to avoid knocking things over.
Megan burned with questions. "How long have you lived in the castle and where
did you come from?"
Twilight sighed. "We simply do not know. Long, long ago we simply woke up one
day and here we were in the castle. We knew each other and we knew ourselves, but we have no
memory of what came before. We know of people and grass and names and animals, but don't
know how we know them. We are simply here, but don't remember a thing that is helpful."
"We call that amnesia," Megan said, trying to be useful.
Twilight nodded her head at hearing the word. "Amnesia must be a very powerful
spell." Twilight continued before Megan could interrupt her.
"We explored the castle from its underground chambers to its highest turrets and
the fields out to the invisible wall. There has been no clue to tell us who we are or why we are
here.
"However, we have found a door that we cannot open. Its latches are too complex
for hooves and lips. We have always hoped that behind that door lay the answers we
sought."
Megan and the ponies continued down into the lower levels of the castle, past
ancient tapestries and mosaics, dim halls leading into gloom and beckoning a brave explorer.
Twilight stopped in front of a large iron door, its latches complex puzzles of metal.
"This is the door, Megan. Can you help?"
Megan looked at the seven latches. She saw what Twilight meant; intricate whorls
of metal, Megan didn't even know if she could solve these puzzles even with hands.
With looks of expectation from the ponies, Megan tackled the first latch, a simple
affair that required the main bolt to be spun in its socket. With a click, the latch opened to the
cheers of the seven ponies. The next latch was more difficult requiring one part to be threaded
through another at a unique angle. Each successive latch took longer to open and the cheers
upon completion grew louder with each triumph.
To Megan it felt as hours had passed and she was wondering what Aunt Constance
would think with her being gone. How would she know to look in the globe? Megan brushed her
hair out of her eyes, pushed the thought out of her mind and continued on the seventh and final
latch.
She worked at the maze of wires and rods, grateful that the ponies let her work
undisturbed without questions and advice. Fifteen minutes later, Megan felt she was no closer to
its solution that when she started and, in fact, may have even made it worse.
Crestfallen, she turned and looked at the ponies who looked back with hope in their
eyes. She swallowed hard and returned to the task. In a few moments she saw her dilemma.
Though the first six latches fell easily to a person with two hands, she would need at least nine
hands to
hold up and support various parts of the latch while she worked with other segments. "String,"
she said aloud, startling her audience. "I need string." The ponies looked back at her sadly.
"We have no string," Twilight said.
In dismay, the ponies pawed at the floor with tiny hooves. Suddenly, Applejack
whinnied in an equine interpretation of laughter. "No, we don't have string, but the hair in our
tails and manes is strong."
Each pony insisted on donating one long hair from mane or tail and within minutes,
Megan held seven strands of hair; two brilliant white, one cream-colored, one dark gray, one jet
black, one chestnut and one bluish gray. She tackled the latch yet again, knotting each hair
around a separate piece of the latch to keep it from snapping shut until, with a loud click, it finally
opened.
This time, there were no cheers from the ponies, but they held their breath in eager
anticipation. Soundlessly, the door opened inward revealing a large, dark room with bare, stone
walls. Nobody moved.
After a moment, Ember cleared her throat and spoke. "Are we going in?" They all
blinked at each other in amazement. The empty room seemed something of an anticlimax.
Cautiously, Megan stepped into the room, and moments later, the seven ponies
walked in behind her, the sound of little hooves on the stone floor echoing off the walls and
ceiling. A few moment's inspection confirmed their suspicions. The room held no secrets.
Suddenly, the door swung shut behind them leaving them in stygian darkness. With
cries of surprise and fear, they all stumbled toward the door in the dark and tried to open it, but
there was no latch from inside the room. They were trapped.
With everybody talking at once, Twilight tried to restore some semblance of order
and calm. "Sisters! Sisters! Nothing can be done with all this racket. Please!"
Within moments the only noise in the room was the breathing of seven ponies and
one frightened girl.
"That's better," Twilight responded. "Now, Starlight, please?"
Starlight snorted in the dark. "Now that I can concentrate without everybody
talking at once." Moments later, a small unicorn's horn glowed comfortingly in the dark. It did
not push the darkness away completely, but its glow brought some comfort.
The light revealed the tall figure of an old man in a simple brown robe and coarse
wooden staff. "Who enters my room?" he asked. Megan and the ponies stared back in stunned
surprise.
The man strode over to Megan and looked down at her. "Hooves could not have
manipulated my locks. You are the one responsible."
Megan swallowed hard and looked up at the man towering over her. "Yes, sir," she
said meekly.
Twilight started to speak up in Megan's defense, but she was hushed by a stern look
from the robed man.
"There is a price to be paid for disturbing my repose. You will make a choice. You
may return to your world outside of the globe, safe and sound, and the ponies will pay a price for
their intrusion. They will wear my bit and my bridle. I will strip them of speech and mind and
they will pull my carriage. They will be mine forever. I have it in my power to do this." He
struck the floor of the room with his staff and a horrible brilliance revealed the room with amazing
clarity.
The man continued, ignoring the cries of indignation and horror from the ponies.
"Or you can pay the price and the ponies can go free."
Megan swallowed hard, turned and looked at the ponies. The seven stared back at
her. Megan looked at Twilight and Starlight and choked at the mental image of them pulling this
man's carriage. She thought of Firefly and Medley, their wings clipped and denied the wonder of
flight. She looked at Ember, Bowtie and Applejack and saw them enslaved in bits and bridles
denied the ability to reason as well as speak. She turned back to the man.
"What's the price?"
"That's for me to decide after you make your decision," he said sternly.
Megan blinked back tears. "Then I'll pay your stupid price," she said fiercely. "Let
the ponies go."
The man cocked an eyebrow in surprise. "Are you sure? I'll ask again. You could
go free and never worry about or think about or see these ponies again. They would have no
memory of your treason or that you ever existed."
Megan stood tall, her back straight, her determination firm. "But I would
remember. Let the ponies go. I'll pay your price."
The man smiled.
"And that," he said with a gentle laugh, "was the correct answer.
"Megan, my name is Dubricius. I have waited a long time for you."
Later, Megan and Dubricius sat on the lawn outside the castle under the dizzyingly
multicolored sky. He had asked the ponies to allow them some privacy as he wanted to talk to
Megan alone. Now, Firefly and Medley chased each other through the air while the others
cropped grass together. All, that is, except Ember who had fallen asleep with her head on
Megan's lap. Megan had to suppress giggles at Ember's gentle snoring.
"There is so much that I want to tell you, Megan," Dubricius was saying. "Where
the ponies came from, why I am their guardian and how that guardianship was transferred to you,
but my time is short.
"You must go back to your world and you must take the ponies with you. They
can stay here no longer. There are those who know about the castle and its secrets."
"But I'm only eleven-years-old," Megan said. "You make it sound like they are in
danger. How can I protect them? I don't have any magical powers."
Dubricius smiled back at her and chuckled. "Magic? Who needs magic when you
have wonder? Anyway, you dealt with me quite well. I think you have the courage and creativity
to deal with other challenges quite effectively. Therein lies a special type of magic."
He squeezed her shoulder. "Megan, you have strength you do not even understand
yet. And the ponies are not completely helpless."
"But what are they? Who are they? Why don't they remember who they
are?"
"There are some wonders that you must discover for yourself, but I will give you a
thought." Dubricius smiled, leaned closer and whispered in Megan's ear. "Though they don't
remember, and that for good reason, their real names are Alcyone, Celaeno, Electra, Maia,
Merope, Asterope and Taygeta."
Megan looked at him with a puzzled expression. "But those names mean nothing to
me."
"They will, my dear. Someday they will. Until then, the seven sisters are under
your guardianship.
"Goodbye, my dear, and remember to walk the Wood of the Worlds."
Megan gasped as suddenly her vision inverted and she seemed to be looking at
Dubricius through the wrong end of a telescope. She blinked and she was laying on her bed in her
own room, staring at the castle in the globe. Faintly, she seemed to see two small motes flying
around one of the turrets.
She heard Aunt Constance calling from downstairs. "Megan? Have you spent all
morning in your room? It's lunch time."
Megan didn't respond, but stared at the castle. Slowly, she turned and took an old
spelling bee trophy from its place on her bureau drawer. "I hope I know what I'm doing," she
said outloud to nobody in particular. She brought the trophy down on the globe as hard as she
could.
Aunt Constance sat the lunch table with mathematical precision, her mind
formulating to-do lists and balancing the times it would take to accomplish the rest of the day's
responsibilities.
The noise upstairs was an unwelcome intrusion. She paused, a diner plate in hand,
and listened for what sounded like a stampede upstairs.
With a snort of indignation, she walked into the foyer to order some peace and
quiet from Megan, just in time to see a small horse jump over the upstairs banister, spread wings
that gently brushed against both sides of the room and gracefully land in front of her without so
much as
a sound.
"Hello," it said.
Aunt Constance stared back in surprise. Sounds came from her throat, but
coherence was lost in the astonishment of the moment.
Suddenly, in a stampede of hooves, the stairway was filled with ponies, some with
horns, another winged pony in their midst. They surrounded her and looked up at her with
laughing pony faces.
"Hello," they were all saying at once.
Suddenly, Megan appeared in front of her, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks.
"Look, Aunt Constance. Aren't they wonderful? I've been made their guardian."
The dinner plate in Aunt Constance's hand slipped from nerveless fingers, struck the
hardwood floor and shattered into a hundred pieces.
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Opting for a democratic solution to the problem of who should be queen, the
Princess Ponies have consented to run for election. To help acquaint everyone with the
qualifications of each Princess, My Little Pony Monthly interviewed Princesses Royal Blue,
Tiffany, Primrose, Starburst, Sparkle, and Serena. Following are the questions asked, and the
responses given. Cast your vote by e-mailing Tabby at TabbyMLP@aol.com
-Tabby
A good pony queen must be kind, considerate, compassionate, and interested in
her subject ponies. What have you personally done in this area?
Royal Blue: I loaned by diamond tiara to Sparkle for the last New Year's Eve party; that was
very kind and considerate of me because that tiara is my very favorite!
Tiffany: When Royal Blue ran out of nail polish, I flew to the Perm Shoppe to pick up a new
bottle for her.
Starburst: Why just last week I donated ten jangles to Ponytown to help provide food and
clothes to orphan ponies.
Sparkle: I was walking along the path one day when I met a poor, homeless pony. I took him
home and fed him a good meal.
Serena: Last December, I organized a clothing drive to benefit all the poor ponies of Ponyland.
Thanks to many generous ponies, the Bushwoolies and I were able to deliver clean, warm clothing
to everyone in need.
Primrose: I am proud to say that when Serena was collecting things for the poor, I donated all
my costume jewelry.
Fairness is also a necessary ability for the pony queen. She must be able to
judge wisely and make good decisions. How have you shown this ability in your past
experiences?
Royal Blue: When we repainted the walls in the grand ballroom, we couldn't decide whether to
go with white or yellow. So I flipped a coin-- heads won for white.
Tiffany: Once when Starburst was having a party, she came to me and asked which of her two
dresses looked best on her. I was quick to point out to her that the royal purple gown went
perfectly with her gorgeous hair.
Starburst: As last summer's festival, I was one of the judges for the high-dive competition and
was extremely fair by giving each contestant a "5".
Sparkle: Tiffany and Starburst were arguing over who was prettier, and I told them they were
each equally beautiful (considering what they had to work with!).
Serena: When the Troggles and the Grundles both claimed the Rainbow River Valley, I brought
the two sides together and helped them to resolve their differences.
Primrose: This is rather embarrassing but I once put on Pumpkin Orange nail polish; but upon
looking at myself in the mirror I decided it did not look right at all, so I wisely judged to wear
Appleblossom Pink instead.
A pony queen must have high intelligence to be able to handle the affairs of
her subjects. Please tell us about your education.
Royal Blue: I am proud to say that I graduated from Dark Forest High School with a "B"
average.
Tiffany: My parents sent me to a private beauty school, and I was voted the Most Beautiful Pony
of 1986.
Starburst: As a matter of fact, I went to beauty school with Tiffany; of course, I completed the
program in six months whereas it took her a full year.
Sparkle: I received my degree from Ponyland Vocational School in Princess Etiquette.
Serena: I have always been interested in the world and its affairs and studied hard during my
years at Pony Pride University, graduating with high honors.
Primrose: Actually, I never quite graduated from Dark Forest High. It was just that the
dissection unit it biology was too gross, so I never completed that course.
Poise, assurance of manner, and gracious tact are critical of any queen in her
day-to-day handling of matters of state. Have you demonstrated these traits?
Royal Blue: When Jabber and Jebber were fighting over a piece of candy, I told them to shut-up
and go home.
Tiffany: In last month's fashion show, I modeled the sapphire blue evening gown in high heels; I
was able to go down the runway and back without tripping or falling.
Starburst: When Wishful accidentally misplaced my magic wand, I did not loose my cool but
simply explained to him that if he did not recover the wand by nightfall, I would ban him from the
Royal Paradise for the rest of his life!
Sparkle: I inadvertently made dates for the same evening with both 4-Speed and Salty. They
arrived at the same time and without batting an eye I simply informed them that I wanted two
escorts to the party that night, and tossed my mane flippantly as we walked off companionably to
the dance.
Serena: Thinking back to the Mouse Mayor's visit, I arranged for his welcoming ceremony,
delivered the opening speech, and participated in all the affairs of state required by that
momentous occasion.
Primrose: As a Princess Pony, there is nothing I do that is not poised, assured, and
gracious.
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PONY OF THE MONTH
Lemon Treats
(yellow earth pony with green/white hair and slices of cake on
rump)
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A Glimpse In Time
by Tabby
"Aww, it's locked!" Lemon Treats sighed, disappointed. She was busy cleaning the
attic of Paradise Estate, and had just come across an ancient-looking wooden case with gold
hinges. "Well, I'll take it downstairs. Maybe I can find something to open it with down there."
So she lugged it down the stairs and set it on the kitchen table.
Lemon Treats rummaged through the junk drawer, hoping to find something useful
to open the case. In one of the back corners she found a heavy, ornately carved old-fashioned
key. "Looks like just the thing," she said happily. She inserted the key into the case's keyhole and
held her breath. To her delight, it worked! She eagerly lifted the lid and looked inside. A diary!
Lemon Treats snatched it up.
A ragged edge revealed that the page that had once shown the name of the owner
had been torn out of the diary. The entries told of earlier days in Ponyland, from the year 1910.
Whoever had kept it had lived a happy, carefree life; her days were filled with studies, afternoon
teas, and formal dances.
Suddenly, Lemon Treats' heart skipped a beat as the entries became more personal.
She settled into the corner of the sofa and read as if mesmerized:
February 14, 1910
I met the most handsome stallion at the Valentine Ball tonight! I was talking with Pansy and
Teardrop when he walked in. I was staring at him; and when he looked my way and caught my
eye, he stopped and stared, too. Then he came to me, bowed, and asked, "Would the most
beautiful pony in the world dance with me?" I blushed bright red, I'm sure, but we walked
together to the dance floor and waltzed the rest of the night away. His name is Paladin. As we
danced, we talked, and I felt like I'd known him forever. We like the same things and think the
same thoughts. I have found my soul-mate! He walked me home, and kissed me gently on the
cheek before Mother and Father came to the door to see me in. Oh, what a night! A perfect
Valentine's Day- I'm so happy!
February 15, 1910
Paladin was waiting for me at the corner when I was on the way to my music lessons. He walked
me the rest of the way there. And he had a flower for me, a red rose. He said I was prettier than
any flower, but the rose was as close as he could come to my beauty. Oh, he is so wonderful!
He waited for me to finish my lesson, then walked me to the ice cream parlor for a banana split
which we shared. He walked with me back to the corner by my house, and he kissed my cheek
again. Oh, my, I think I'm in love!
February 16, 1910
Pansy and Teardrop came by to invite me to go tobogganing this afternoon. Mother let me go if
I promised to be home before dark. When we got to the corner, there was Paladin again. He
asked if he could join our outing, and Pansy laughingly said he could if he pulled the toboggan.
I think she likes Paladin, too, but he has eyes only for me. He and I walked side by side,
following Pansy and Teardrop. We tobogganed all afternoon and then the four of us went to the
ice cream parlor for hot cocoa. Paladin bought me a box of fudge-- "for the sweetest girl he
knew" --he said when he gave it to me. He walked me as far as the corner. Mother was getting
worried because it was nearly dark.
February 17, 1910
Paladin was at the corner this morning when I went to the store to get groceries for Mother. He
walked with me to the store and helped me make my purchases. Grocery shopping was never
such fun! He carried the bag home as far as the corner, then asked if I would be able to get
away from Mother and Father later tonight to walk with him through the park. I promised him
I'd try. After supper, I told Mother I had a headache and went up to my room early. Then I
went down the back stairs and slipped out the back door to meet Paladin at the corner. Together
we went to the park and walked the paths; even if the evening was cold and crisp, I felt warm and
snug with Paladin at my side. We talked and shared dreams and sat in the gazebo on the bench
side by side. Paladin handed me a box with a purple ribbon around it. I opened it, and, oh, it
was a gorgeous diamond necklace! I've never seen anything so elegant. He said I'd have many
more diamonds and jewels if only I'd run away with him to some other place. He promised me
he'd treat my like a queen! Oh how I wanted to say yes, but I had to think about it. I'd have to
confide in Mother; I couldn't just disappear. But he said not to mention it to anyone. He
needed my decision tonight. But I couldn't just leave like that. So he walked me to the corner;
he told me to keep the necklace and kissed me on the cheek. But something was different. I felt
cold and empty as I snuck back in the house.
February 18, 1910
Teardrop came by this afternoon. She was all excited because Pansy was no where to be seen
today; she had disappeared in the night. Her clothes and trunk were gone. No one knows where
she went. Or why. I think I know, though. Paladin wasn't at the corner, either.
February 19, 1910
No sign of Pansy or Paladin again today. How can my world crash so suddenly? I thought he
loved me as much as I loved him.
February 20, 1910
Teardrop got a letter from Pansy today. She is with Paladin and he has promised her a life of
riches and glamour far from Ponyland. She said she probably won't have time to write
again.
February 21, 1910
I put the diamond necklace that Paladin gave me in a wooden box today and as soon as the
ground thaws enough to dig, I'm going to bury it under the lilac bush out behind the house. I
hope by doing that I can put the memory of Paladin behind me. Then I can continue my life
from the point before he entered it, and start over again. If anyone ever finds this diary, they are
free to claim the necklace as their own. For whoever that might be, the necklace would not be
tainted with the memory of Paladin for them as it is for me.
That was the last entry. Lemon Treats sighed and just sat there awhile, holding the
diary and staring at the cover. "It's so sad," she said to herself after contemplating it. "But, I
wonder if I could find that necklace!"
So she strolled outside and looked around Paradise Estate. "There are TONS of
lilac bushes!" she exclaimed. "I'd never be able to find the one she buried the necklace under!
Maybe I missed something in the diary." She went back inside and re-read the diary carefully, but
still Lemon Treats couldn't find any clue as to which lilac bush the necklace was buried
under.
"I'll never find it," Lemon Treats sighed. "And I really wanted to-- it sounds so
beautiful!" She placed the diary back in the case, but just as she was about to close the lid she
noticed the velvet lining was turned back in one corner.
Lemon Treats gasped excitedly. The lining wasn't fastened down tightly! She
stuck her hoof underneath and pulled out a yellowed piece of paper, and the crumbled remains of
a red rose.
"Yes! It's a map!" Lemon Treats exclaimed after she had carefully unfolded the
paper. She studied it. It showed the location of a lilac bush growing near the river. A rock was
next to the bush and the necklace was buried between the two things. A note off to the side of
the paper said an "X" had been scratched into the rock to mark the spot.
Lemon Treats anxiously trotted outside and found a shovel. Then she headed down
to the river. She walked along the shore and soon found a lilac bush next to a large rock. "This
must be it!" she exclaimed, and inspected the rock. "Hmm... but there's no "X" on it..." Lemon
Treats started to dig anyway.
After digging a few minutes she felt tired, and sat down on the rock to rest.
Then Friendly the Bushwoolie walked by. "Hi, Lemon Treats!" he greeted her.
"What you doing?"
Lemon Treats sighed wearily, still tired from digging. "Well, see, Friendly, it's like
this..." she explained the whole story to him.
Friendly paused and thought for awhile. Then he hopped over to the rock and
started pulling grass and dirt away from it.
"Look! There's the "X"!" Lemon Treats exclaimed after Friendly had been at it for
awhile. "The necklace is definitely here!"
"I dig some more," Friendly said, grabbing the shovel and digging in the hole
Lemon Treats had started. Then the shovel made a clicking sound.
"Did you hear that?" Lemon Treats asked excitedly. Friendly nodded and continued
to dig. Lemon Treats worked with her hooves. Soon they had uncovered a rough wooden box.
They hoisted it out of the hole.
"Lid nailed on," Friendly pointed out after looking at the box.
"I'll pry them out with the shovel," Lemon Treats said and worked at it. Soon the
lid was off.
"There's a sack in here!" Lemon Treats lifted it out and reached her hoof in. She
pulled out-- the necklace!
"Isn't it gorgeous?" breathed Lemon Treats, fascinated. She was holding it up in
the sunlight; it sparkled and sent out rainbows of color.
"Yes, very pretty," Friendly agreed. He looked at the glittering necklace and added,
"Like frost on sunny winter morning."
"Thanks for your help!" Lemon Treats told Friendly, and he hopped off cheerfully.
Lemon Treats went back into Paradise Estate. She sat down on the couch and opened the
diary again, and re-read all the entries about Paladin.
A tear fell from her eye and dropped on the dazzling necklace. Lemon Treats
silently sat there, thinking. Suddenly she knew what she had to do.
She walked back outside to the river, and, in the dusk light, reburied the diamond
necklace where it had rested before.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Survey
What is the most you think a foreign pony is worth?
E-mail Tabby at TabbyMLP@aol.com. Results in next issue.
Last month's-
"Which pony would you most like to be?"
cthomas@wsunix.wsu.edu-
Which pony would I most want to be like? Well, Little Flitter of course!!
LSflip@aol.com-
If I could be any of the ponies, I'd most want to be one of the newborn twins because they're cute,
and because I've always been interested in twins.
Iriswing@aol.com-
I'd like to be the pony I invented earlier:
Iris wing- White windy wing, hair like Gingerbread's, rainbow wings, red, blue, and green flying
doves as symbol.
Sharnox@aol.com-
I'd like to be Rosedust. She is beautiful and delicate, like a fairy, and she can fly with those
beautiful opalescent wings.
MeryTreat@aol.com-
The Pony I would love to be the most, would be the '98 pony, ... Light Heart!^_^ She is so pretty
and it would be cool to have a bed like that!
Katie(MeryTreat)
Cymbryana@aol.com-
My daughter would most like to be Bon Bon, from the MLP Tales. She loves the episode where
Bon Bon dreams of becoming a fashion model, which is Ashley's dream also.
---Nicole & Ashley
JDJP62B@prodigy.com-
If I could be any MLP I would be either... Morning Glory{flutter pony}, Rosedust{queen of
flutter ponies}or Gingerbread {jeweled eyed pony}.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'll Never Give Up
Sequel to Friends Forever
By Shining (ddonnell@iserv.net)
"Nice form!" Shining smiled at the jet black stallion. "But I think that you could
have gotten a couple more inches in height if you had collected a split second later."
"You're right," handsome Signature Required agreed, trotting over to where his
delicate bay mate stood at the rail. "I was just anticipating the jump, so I took off too
early."
Signature and Shining had known and trained together since they were both
four-year-olds. Now, three years later, they were the best performing couple in the world. Not
only did they compete together, but two years ago, they got married. Now, Signature and
Shining were the parents of two exquisite foals; On My Honor and In A Moment.
"Should I try it again?" Signature asked.
Shining nodded, "I would if I were you. But this time take your time. Here, let me
show you." Shining entered the arena and began in a graceful canter. She circled the arena once
and faced the triple oxer.
Signature watched with a look of admiration on his face. He had never known
anyone with so much heart and talent.
"Okay," Shining called, "watch how I pause right before the jump to collect."
Shining loped toward the jump, her hooves barely touching the ground. Right before the immense
obstacle, Shining hesitated for the slightest moment and took off.
To Signature, it seemed that Shining could hang in the air forever. He held his
breath. When Shining's forelegs touched the ground, Signature expelled the air he had been
holding. She was so beautiful.
Shining trotted over to the rail and Signature met her with a deep kiss. Shining had
a look of pleasant surprise on her face and she gave him the quiet smile that Signature had fallen
in love with three years ago. "Shining, I love you," Signature whispered.
Shining nodded and opened her mouth to speak. But the tender moment was
interrupted when the twins came running over to their parents.
"Mama, Moment's going over to play with Baby Racer. Can I visit Baby Gusty?"
Honor looked up at her parents pleadingly.
Signature chuckled. "Of course you can go, Honey."
Shining nodded, "Just tell Sweetie that I said hi."
"Okay!" Honor skipped off with her twin brother to Dream Valley.
When the babies had left, Signature sighed deeply. "They're growing up fast," he
commented.
"Yes," Shining said. "We should enroll them in Ms. Hackney's class next
year."
"What else do you want to practice today?" Signature asked, changing the
subject.
"How about ground work?"
"Sure," Signature said easily. "Oh! I forgot completely! Lacey is coming to the
barn in twenty minutes to watch us."
Shining made a face. Lacey had tried to come between Signature and Shining when
they had begun training together. "Then let's do jumping instead."
Signature laughed. "Whatever you want, Shining-girl."
Soon they were galloping together around the ring with grace. Lacey stood under
the shade of an apple tree haughtily watching them. Signature glanced over at Shining as she
took a water jump delightedly, and loved her even more.
Signature took off for a triple oxer with Shining right behind him. Out of the corner
of his eye, he saw Honor and Moment galloping toward the arena. Signature landed and galloped
off.
Suddenly, a blood curdling scream pierced the air. Signature's head popped up in
surprise. A split second later, Signature heard the terrible shatter as Shining crashed into the
triple oxer. Signature's heart leapt to his throat as he rushed over to the accident.
"Mama!" Moment and Honor cried.
Signature reached Shining's side. Her face was contorted with pain. "Signature,"
Shining whispered.
"Sshh, Shining," Signature choked back tears. "Just tell me what hurts."
Shining groaned weakly. "Everything hurts. Help me, Signature......." Shining
closed her eyes.
Signature took a deep breath and gently kissed Shining's forehead. "Okay, Baby,
it'll be okay."
Signature stepped back to view the damage. The jump had been completely
demolished. Shining was sprawled in the center of it. Deep cuts marred her perfect coat.
Signature gasped in horror. Shining's right foreleg was twisted and bent in an unnatural position.
Bone protruded from the skin. Blinking back tears, Signature looked away.
Signature turned to the rail where Lacey and the twins stood. The twins stood
frozen in terror. "Lacey! Call an ambulance! Hurry!" Signature called. Lacey dashed off.
Uncertainly, Moment and Honor crept toward Signature. "Is Mama going to be
okay?" Moment asked.
Signature nodded with more confidence than he actually felt. "Mama's going to be
fine, Moment."
"Good. Because we didn't mean to hurt her," Honor said. And then she burst into
tears.
Signature was shocked. "Honor, what made you think that it was your
fault?"
Moment, on the verge of tears explained, "We were running over from Dream
Valley, and Lacey thought we were charging her. We wouldn't do that, Daddy, honest! And
Lacey screamed. When you ran over to Mama, Lacey got real mad and told us that we hurt
Mama!" Moment began sobbing.
Anger boiled inside of Signature. "Babies, listen to me; this isn't your fault. Lacey
is a mean-hearted horse. This is Lacey's fault. Okay?"
Moment and Honor nodded.
"Good. Now, I need you to go get cleaned up and go over to Baby Gusty's again.
I'll call when Mama's feeling better," Signature comforted the twins.
After the twins had scampered off, Signature turned once more to Shining. Her
breathing had become shallow and fast. Signature stroked Shining's side gently, tears streaming
down his handsome face. "Oh, Shining-girl. Don't leave me. Can't you see that I can't live
without you?"
An ambulance wailed and pulled to a halt outside the arena. The volunteer rescuers
from Dream Valley-- Wigwam and Baby Gusty's father, Chief-- leaped out. "Signature! What
happened?" Chief cried.
Lost for words, Signature closed his eyes and tried to find his voice. Peering past
Signature, Chief groaned. "Shining." Signature nodded mutely. Chief put a shoulder around his
friend, "I'm so sorry, Signature."
Wigwam took charge. "Signature. She's unconscious now. When was the last
time she was awake?"
Finding his voice, Signature hoarsely said, "About twenty minutes ago."
"All right. Tell me exactly what happened."
Signature closed his eyes, remembering the nightmare, his throat catching. "We-we
were practicing and Lacey screamed. I had just jumped the triple oxer and Shining was right
behind me. She crashed into it in midair."
"How high was the jump?" Wigwam asked.
"Five foot four."
Chief, who had hooked Shining up to oxygen and was checking her pulse, groaned.
"Five four, triple oxer," he murmured.
"Okay, Signature, we're going to put Shining on a stretcher and take her to the
hospital. I'll drive, and you can ride in back with her and Chief," Wigwam explained.
Shining was loaded into the ambulance. The siren screeched and the ambulance
made its way to the Dream Valley Hospital.
Signature was worried. When they had arrived at the hospital, Shining had been
whisked away before Signature could inquire where. A friendly nurse had suggested that he
might wait out in the waiting room until the doctor came with news of her condition.
Dr. Rosedust had appeared once to ask permission from Signature to perform
surgery. That was eight hours ago.
After Shining had been admitted into the hospital, Signature had called over to Baby
Gusty's house to make sure that the twins were okay. Baby Gusty and Shining had always had a
special relationship. Although Baby Gusty wasn't much of a baby anymore, her childhood
nickname had stuck with her even through college.
Then Signature had called Lacey. "How could you have done something so stupid,
Lacey?"
"I thought that those little savages were going to attack me!" Lacey defended
herself.
"Those ‘little savages' are my foals! And frankly, I'm very proud of them!"
Signature roared.
"Well--"
"Lacey, right from the day I met you, I knew that you were trouble. You've always
been jealous of Shining and me, trying to break us up and forcing me to tour with you. But this
time, it's gone way too far!" Signature cried.
"Yes, but everyone falls now and then; how do you know that it was because I
screamed?" Lacey reasoned lamely.
"Lacey, I don't think you realize how much irreversible damage you've done!
Shining is on the verge of death because of you. Moment and Honor are crushed because you
blamed them for this. If you ever dare to show your face at Glorified Acres again, I'll take care of
you myself!" With that, Signature hung up the phone in disgust.
Signature sighed. So many emotions were building up inside him. Anger, worry,
hopelessness, despair. The only one he had ever loved; the only one he could ever love, could
leave him.......... Sitting it the notoriously uncomfortable hospital chair, Signature drifted off into
a nightmarish sleep.
".......Signature? Signature. Wake up. Shining is finished with surgery."
Signature woke up with a start and jumped to his feet. "Shining!" he cried, still half
in his dream. Signature blinked and looked around dazed.
Dr. Rosedust smiled understandingly. "Shining just got out of surgery ten minutes
ago."
Signature was afraid to ask, but he had to know, "H-how is she?"
Dr. Rosedust shook her head. Signature's heart sank. "Her right foreleg was
completely shattered, Signature. I pieced it together as best as I could. But I'm afraid that she
won't walk without a limp, that is, if she ever walks again."
Signature felt sick. He sat down again.
"Signature, that's not the worst. She's suffered severe head injuries. We don't
know yet to what extent, and if there was any brain damage," Rosedust frowned in concern.
"No, please, not my Shining," Signature whispered. He tried hard to keep the tears
that were welling up in his eyes from falling. "Rosedust, is she going to be all right?"
Dr. Rosedust shrugged her shoulders. "It's hard to say. She's a fighter, but you
have to remember how much she's been through, sustaining such a fall and then undergoing major
surgery."
"Where is she? Can I see her?" Signature asked.
"She's on the third floor in Intensive Care. You can go up there and the nurse will
send you to her room," Dr. Rosedust replied.
When Signature entered Shining's room, the clean, antiseptic smell almost made
him sick. The small figure of Shining seemed even more frail in the white sheets of the hospital
bed. Machines whirred and beeped around her.
Signature barely breathed as he approached the bed. "Shining-girl. What will I do
without you?" Shining didn't answer. Emotions finally overcame him and Signature laid his head
down beside Shining's, and sobbed.
The next morning, Signature found himself in a bed beside Shining. Groggily, he
sat up and studied Shining for any change from the night before. With a heavy heart, he had to
admit to himself that Shining hadn't improved at all overnight.
Dr. Rosedust walked in and smiled at Signature. "Good news," she announced.
"We got the CAT scans back, and there doesn't seem to be any brain damage. But still, she has a
very severe concussion."
Signature breathed a sigh of relief. "So she has a better chance?"
Dr. Rosedust nodded. "I'm pretty confident about that."
Signature smiled wearily. "Thank you, Dr. Rosedust."
Rosedust nodded again and left the room.
Signature turned to Shining again and kissed her on the forehead right on her
perfect white star. He had kissed her four years before for the first time in the exact same
spot.
Signature began walking to the door to call Baby Gusty when he heard a small sigh.
Abruptly he turned and stood at Shining's side again. He held his breath.
Shining's eyelids flickered as she struggled to regain consciousness. "Signature,"
she breathed.
"Shining-girl. I'm here, Shining. I won't leave," Signature murmured.
A small smile crept onto Shining's pale face. "I know. You won't leave me. I
know." Shining slowly opened her eyes.
"Hi, Beautiful," Signature whispered.
Shining tried to laugh, but stopped immediately, discovering her broken ribs. "How
bad is it, Signature?"
Signature's brow creased in concern. "You had a pretty bad fall, Baby. A severe
concussion, broken ribs, lacerations," Signature paused, "Shining, your right foreleg. When you
fell, it was shattered. Rosedust tried her hardest to set it back together, but she says that if you do
walk again, it won't be without a limp. It's going to be painful, Shining-girl."